Enrollment Status and Adjusting Aid

The PELL and SEOG Grants will be adjusted based on student’s enrollment status, up through the 60% point of each term. After this point, the PELL and SEOG Grants will not be adjusted unless it falls into one of the following categories:

The student is enrolled in a late starting class that begins after the 60% point and drops the class before it starts.

The student is dropped from a class by their instructor for non-attendance.

If the Instructor drops a student in error and agrees to reinstate the student in the same class, financial aid will be adjusted accordingly.

Students who are receiving student loans and drop a class(es):

Loans will be cancelled if the student is enrolled in less than six credit hours at the time of disbursement.

If the student began attendance in six or more credit hours, and they received a portion or the entire loan, they are entitled to keep the amount already disbursed. However, no further disbursements will occur if they remain enrolled in less than six credit hours for that term and any remaining portions of the student loan(s) will be cancelled.

If the student did not begin attendance in six or more credits when they received a portion or the entire loan, the loan(s) will be removed entirely for that term.

Repeating Classes

Effective Spring, 2012: If you have taken a class twice and received a passing grade (for financial aid a “D” or better is considered a passing grade), you may no longer receive financial aid for that class.

Attach sufficient documentation that supports the special circumstances that resulted in your suspension and/or maximum time frame status and how the circumstances have been resolved.

Students may be required to complete an Academic Plan and/or a Program Evaluation when submitting an appeal. Students that are in suspension status and maximum time frame are required to complete a 'Program Evaluation' when appealing. Students in other statuses will be notified if applicable.

Unsubsidized Loans

ECC has entered into an agreement with The Department of Education that recognized ECC as an “experimental site” for the federal direct unsubsidized stafford loan program. It is required for students to maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA to be eligible for an unsubsidized stafford loan. The cumulative grade point average is calculated according to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy . Your academic cumulative grade point average may differ.

If you are a new student to ECC and have no transferred credit hours, you are exempt from this policy until you have a cumulative grade point average at the College. If you are a new student to ECC with transferred credit hours, those credit hours will be included when calculating your cumulative grade point average.

Subsidized Loans

There is a limit on the maximum period of time (measured in academic years) that you can receive Direct Subsidized Loans. In general, you may not receive Direct Subsidized Loans for more than 150% of the published length of your program. This is called your “maximum eligibility period”. You can usually find the published length of any program of study in your school’s catalog. Read moreless

For example, if you are enrolled in a 2-year associate degree program, the maximum period for which you can receive Direct Subsidized Loans is 3 years (150% of 2 years = 3 years).

Your maximum eligibility period is based on the published length of your current program. This means that your maximum eligibility period can change if you change programs. Also, if you receive Direct Subsidized Loans for one program and then change to another program, the Direct Subsidized Loans you received for the earlier program will generally count against your new maximum eligibility period.

The periods of time that count against your maximum eligibility period are periods of enrollment (also known as “loan periods”) for which you received Direct Subsidized Loans. For example, if you are a full-time student and you receive a Direct Subsidized Loan that covers the fall and spring semesters (a full academic year), this will count as one year against your maximum eligibility period.

If you receive a Direct Subsidized Loan for a period of enrollment that is shorter than a full academic year, the period that counts against your maximum usage period will generally be reduced accordingly. For example, if you are a full-time student and you receive a Direct Subsidized Loan that covers the fall semester but not the spring semester, this will count as one-half of a year against your maximum eligibility period.

The new policy affects only first–time borrowers as of July 1, 2013.

Changes in Interest Rate for Stafford Loans

The bill passed by Congress and signed by the President will alter interest rates for federal Direct Stafford loans. Effective July 1, 2014.

Undergraduate Data

Loan

Calculation

2014-2015

2013-2014

Subsidized Stafford

10-year Treasury note + 2.05% or 8.25%
(whichever is lower)

4.66%

3.86%

Unsubsidized Stafford

10-year Treasury note + 2.05% or 8.25%
(whichever is lower)

4.66%

3.86%

Rates are “fixed” for the life of the loan, but loans borrowed in subsequent Award Years will carry the prevailing interest rates at that time. The 10-year Treasury note component is determined by the high yield of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the final auction held prior to June 1. Rates apply retroactively to loans disbursed on or after July 1st of the award year.